A biased look at psychology in the world

October 10, 2011

It's World Mental Health Day

Since 1992, the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have marked October 10 as the annual date for World Mental Health Day. Observed in more than 100 countries around the world through local, regional, and national events, World Mental Health Day and this year's theme: "The Great Push: Investing in Mental Health" is intended to call attention to the need for greater investment in mental health services. This is especially true low and middle-income countries that spend less than 2 % of their total health budget on mental health. WFMH and WHO are dedicated to increasing public awareness of the extent to which mental illness remains underreported and undertreated compared to other diseases which receive greater attention.

The sheer range of need for treatment services is unquestionable. According to WHO statistics from 2002, more than 150 million people globally suffer from depression alone with other forms of mental disorder accounting for an additional 300 million (almost 25% of the world's current population). Despite this overwhelming need for services, many countries have less than one mental health professional per one million population. Even when health dollars are allocated, the focus is typically on large hospital settings rather than the community-based services that are likely to be most effective.

An initiative led by Dr. John Copeland and WFMH (titled The Great Push For Mental Health) is attempting to correct years of neglect, especially in developing nations where mental health services are often non-existent. With its themes of Unity, Human Rights, and Recovery, the WFMH initiative, partnered with the Movement for Global Mental Health, has already launched pilot projects in India, Australia, and Europe to provide appropriate and culturally appropriate treatment for various mental disorders.

Through grass-roots campaigns, fundraising initiatives, and public awareness programming, work with international aid organizations, and consultation with local community groups, the WFMH seeks to combat stigma and provide better mental health care worldwide. Following the Declaration of Human Rights and Mental Health, adopted in 1989 as the Declaration of Luxor, the WFMH stresses the need for governments to recognize their most vulnerable populations and to provide a safe environment where they can receive the necessary treatment as well as employing the full range of social support initiatives to prevent mental illness wherever possible.